The Knowledge to Decide

Africa is becoming a new growth market for Google with Android-enabled devices – it launched services for Google Play Music in South Africa in December 2015 to enter the fiercely competitive market for on-demand music streaming services. Interestingly, Apple Music is already present since its launch in June 2015. This means users will have unlimited access to a variety of music – spanning international and local artistes. For early subscribers, the monthly cost will be USD3.50 until January 26, 2016. As South Africa boasts to be the most advanced digital media market in sub Saharan Africa, the availability of such streaming services signifies the market opportunity of mobiles in Africa – particularly those users with smartphones. Will Google manage to capture Africa’s digital media market despite fierce competition? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/google-sets-up-shop-in-africas-music-market/

Has China’s smartphone market reached its saturation point? As more consumers switch to touchscreen smartphones, growth in the market is becoming upgrade-oriented. Shipment volumes to China fell by 4% during the first quarter of 2015 with a total of 98.8 million devices shipped – the lowest in six years. This drop reflects the changing nature of the country’s smartphone market – most consumers already own a smartphone and will switch only if there is an upgrade. Industry players now rely on tech-savvy consumers who hit the stores right after an upgrade is launched. They must now focus on innovative ways of locking in their consumer pool to maintain sales figures. Will China’s smartphone market bounce back? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/chinas-smartphone-market-reaches-saturation-mode/